Shea Butter
Saponification values, fatty acid makeup, and what this oil does in a bar of soap.
Saponification values
Grams of lye needed to saponify one gram of shea butter. Multiply by your oil weight, then apply your superfat.
- NaOH (bar soap)
- 0.128
- KOH (liquid soap)
- 0.179
- Iodine
- 59
- INS
- 116
INCI: Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) ButterSaponified name (for labels): Sodium Shea Butterate
Fatty acid profile
| Fatty acid | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Oleic | 48% |
| Stearic | 40% |
| Linoleic | 6% |
| Palmitic | 5% |
Soap qualities at 100%
What a bar made entirely of shea butter would score. Almost nobody soaps a single oil at 100% — this is here so you can see what the oil contributes to a blend. The shaded band is the range most makers aim for in a finished recipe.
Oils that behave similarly
Closest matches by fatty acid makeup — the usual starting point when you have run out of shea butter and need a substitute. Check the lye maths again after swapping: SAP values differ even between oils that behave alike.
- Mango Seed ButterSAP 0.136 NaOH
- Cupuacu ButterSAP 0.137 NaOH
- Kpangnan ButterSAP 0.136 NaOH
- Ucuuba ButterSAP 0.146 NaOH
- Sal ButterSAP 0.132 NaOH
Recipes using shea butter
- Creamy Shea & Oat 25%Butter-heavy and low-cleansing, for a creamy, lotion-like bar.
- Shea & Cocoa Butter Bar 20%A richer everyday bar. The butters add hardness and a dense, creamy lather without much cleansing punch.
- Honey & Oatmeal 20%A soft, comforting bar. Honey boosts lather and adds sugars that feed bubbles.
- Charcoal & Tea Tree 20%A brisk, deep-cleansing bar. Activated charcoal takes it from grey to near black.
- Goat Milk & Honey 20%Creamy and mild, the classic milk soap without the temperature headaches.
- Conditioning Shampoo Bar 17%Softer and less stripping, aimed at dry or curly hair. Lower coconut, more butter and high-oleic oils.
Sorted by how much of each recipe is shea butter; 8 more recipes use it too. Open the calculator to load any of these from the recipe library.